Footage of LA police shooting a homeless man dead on the street posted to Facebook

The scene on an LA street seconds after police shot dead a homeless man known only as “Africa” while trying to evict him from his tent.Source:Facebook

SHOCKING video footage of police officers shooting a homeless man dead in downtown Los Angeles after he refused orders to leave his tent has been posted on Facebook.

The footage was shot by LA resident Anthony Blackburn and has been viewed more than three million times in less than 24 hours. The sound quality is so clear that most of the distressing — and graphic — verbal exchanges can be heard clearly.

A still from the video. The victim, Africa, has just been shot dead.Source:Facebook

Witnesses told the LA Times that a scuffle had broken out after a group of officers arrived to enforce a court order evicting the victim, known only by his street name “Africa”, from his sleeping tent.

According to 29-year-old Dennis Horne, Africa had been in the throes of an argument with another street sleeper inside his tent when police arrived at about midday on Sunday.

In this still, officers can be seen shooting at Africa as he lies on the ground.Source:Facebook

Mr Horne said a group of five to six officers ordered Africa out of his tent. When he refused, they dragged him out and tasered him before tackling him to the ground. But the homeless man struggled to his feet and lashed out. That’s when at least one officer fired up to seven shots, Mr Horne said.

“It’s sad,” he told the Times. “There’s no justification to take somebody’s life.”